Chapter 1011 A Gathering
In the past, Nanny Zheng had always been very calm when facing others. Never had she lost her cool composure like this—she was beside herself with excitement.
“What’s the relations.h.i.+p between Consort Lan and Prince Chen?” Shao Wanru went straight to the point.
Nanny Zheng began to speak and then hesitated because she didn’t know how to answer her straightforward question.
Shao Wanru quietly measured Nanny Zheng with her watery eyes and then asked, “Can’t you tell me about their relations.h.i.+p?”
She put it in a more roundabout way, which suggested they were connected and made it sound more acceptable. Nanny Zheng could not help nodding. Afterward, her face immediately changed, and she looked at Shao Wanru in astonishment.
“So, does Consort Lan have something to do with His Highness?” Shao Wanru smiled slightly and asked again.
Nanny Zheng hesitated and nodded affirmatively, pursing her lips hard. She didn’t say it, but Princess Chen figured it out herself. Until now, she hadn’t revealed anything about that.
Seeing her reaction, Shao Wanru smiled. It meant that she couldn’t say it, but she could ask about it.
“Is Consort Lan hostile to Prince Chen?” Shao Wanru asked tentatively.
Hearing that, Nanny Zheng, burning with anxiety, shook her head vigorously with anxious eyes staring at Shao Wanru. She didn’t know how Princess Chen came to such a conclusion that terrified her.
Nanny Zheng had been following Shao Wanru for a long time. Thus, she knew that her current master was out of the ordinary. Although she looked delicate and fragile, she was decisive and intelligent. Sometimes, she could be even swifter and fiercer than a man. More importantly, Prince Chen had been deeply attached to Princess Chen, his beloved wife.
If Princess Chen misunderstood Consort Lan, it would be bad.
“Then, Consort Lan is kind to Prince Chen and will never hurt him, right?” Shao Wanru slowly breathed a sigh of relief and asked calmly.
Somehow, the sudden appearance of Consort Lan put significant pressure on her.
It was not long ago that the Empress Dowager learned what had just happened. How could Consort Lan get a general idea of the whole story? If it were the Empress, Shao Wanru would not have any doubts. But Consort Lan was only an imperial consort who seemed to have been locked up in a place worse than the Cold Palace for many years. How could she know?
Besides, she reacted fast. Her maid came not much later than the Empress Dowager’s messenger.
The speed demonstrated that Consort Lan’s power in the Palace was not as weak as what others saw or guessed.
If such an extremely competent person is malicious to Chu Liuchen, how could Shao Wanru rest a.s.sured?
“Why is Consort Lan so good to Prince Chen?” Shao Wanru thought for a while and asked, fixing her eyes on Nanny Zheng and paying close attention to her every move.
Nanny Zheng would not answer her, but she could see something from her reaction to this question.
As expected, Nanny Zheng nodded hurriedly but then shook her head. Then she looked at Shao Wanru in a nervous state, hoping that she could figure out what she meant on her own.
Shao Wanru’s eyes darkened, and she looked at Nanny Zheng thoughtfully.
Consort Lan? She had never seen her in her previous life. Such a high-ranking figure had no connection with her, who used to be a little painter. But Shao Wanru felt she was trustworthy.
Could she believe Consort Lan? She was in a delicate situation, and she couldn’t explain why, only feeling there seemed to be something mysterious in it.
She tried hard to suppress the doubts in her heart and said, “I can ask Consort Lan for help in the future, right?”
Finally, Princess Chen stopped probing to the bottom of the relations.h.i.+p between Consort Lan and Chu Liuchen. After a long sigh of relief, Nanny Zheng hastily answered, “Yes, Your Highness can trust Consort Lan. She is always willing to help Prince Chen. As long as it is about the Prince Chen’s Mansion, she will protect you from sufferings.”
It was not related to the forbidden topic. Since Consort Lan had sent someone here today, she was expressing goodwill. Therefore, she couldn’t let Princess Chen take the opposite meaning.
“Does Prince Chen know Consort Lan bends efforts to protect him?” Shao Wanru ventured.
Nanny Zheng lowered her head and said with bitterness, “His Highness doesn’t want Consort Lan to pay attention to him.”
“If the Empress wants to punish me, will Consort Lan help me out as well?” Shao Wanru asked in a different way.
“Even if it’s the Empress, Consort Lan will come to your aid!” Nanny Zheng repeatedly nodded in approval. For fear that Shao Wanru might not understand, she nodded as obviously as possible.
Compared with the past, Nanny Zheng looked unusually emotional today.
A hint of doubt seemingly remained in Shao Wanru’s l.u.s.trous eyes, but her face was as calm as usual. “I know. Nanny Zheng, you can withdraw now. I’ll have to go to the Palace tomorrow. Please go there with me!”
“That is what I should do!” Nanny Zheng nodded, feeling relaxed in her heart. Princess Chen still wanted to use her, which meant she was not displeased with what she had done today.
Shao Wanru waved her hand. Nanny Zheng bowed and left respectfully. When she stepped out of the door, somehow, her eyes became red-rimmed again. Nanny Zheng muttered a few words to herself. Her voice was very light, but Yujie caught a few words as she pa.s.sed by quietly.
Yujie wanted to say h.e.l.lo to Nanny Zheng, but she seemed absent-minded and left in a hurry without looking around.
“My Lady, I heard Nanny Zheng say at the door: ‘G.o.d bless us. Bodhisattvas bless us’. She murmured a lot there, but I didn’t hear what she said clearly!” After Yujie entered the room, she first talked about the palace maid and then mentioned Nanny Zheng.
“Yujie, what do you think of Consort Lan?” Shao Wanru asked thoughtfully.
“I think that she is very nice to our mansion. When I saw off the palace maid Qing Mu, she kept showing their kindness to me. I don’t think that our mansion is useful to Consort Lan. Besides, I have never heard that she has a prince,” Yujie said.
Shao Wanru nodded, knowing what Yujie meant. Consort Lan had no prince, so she must have no interest in the throne. Likewise, she had no reason to stand against the Prince Chen’s Mansion. So, she genuinely wanted to help, didn’t she?
But Shao Wanru still didn’t understand. No goodwill came for no reason in this world. There must be a reason. She said she liked Shao Wanru at first sight, but that wouldn’t make a person with high status support her so wholeheartedly. Moreover, it was because of Chu Liuchen that Consort Lan was glad to lend a helping hand.
There were countless capricious ties between chambers in the Palace. No outsiders could straighten out the relations.h.i.+p. Therefore, Shao Wanru decided to put aside the matter about Consort Lan until Chu Liuchen came back.
For the moment, she should concentrate her energies on the affairs related to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. How could she talk everything through to the Empress Dowager?
Not only Yan Xi but also Qin Yuru was connected to the matter of Shao Jing. Shao Wanru had a feeling that Qin Yuru had also been informed…
Early the following day, after taking medicine, Shao Wanru got up.
She had vomited blood yesterday, so she didn’t look well though she had recuperated for a day. Her pink and fair face appeared slightly pale, which made her more delicate and touching.
She wore a light blue upper garment, going with a lilac eight-sided skirt. There was a mauve girdle above the skirt that matched well with her slender waist. On her hair, she only used an exquisite hairpin with strings of tiny pearls dangling from its end. Each pearl shone with dazzling brilliance, which set her delicate face off to advantage.
Except for her overly pale face and lips, her image was perfect.
She would enter the Palace from the side door, where a palace sedan was waiting. “Princess Chen, the Empress Dowager asked you to take the palace sedan so that you won’t get hurt.”
A eunuch from the Empress Dowager’s courtyard came to greet her with a bright smile.
Shao Wanru nodded gently. Yujie came forward with a money pouch and said sensitively, “Thank you, Sir. My Lady is really in poor condition. She couldn’t come here at first, but when she thought the Empress Dowager must be worried, she struggled to stand up and get here. So, please carry the palace sedan steadily.”
The eunuch’s eyebrows danced as he took the small bag. With a light pinch, he immediately knew there were silver drafts in it. “Your Highness, don’t worry. I will tell them to be careful. Your Highness made it here even though she is not feeling well. We must make sure she is comfortable on the following way!”
Nanny Zheng helped Shao Wanru sit in the palace sedan chair. Then she and Yujie stepped aside and followed the palace sedan chair into the Palace.
The group moved smoothly at a slow but steady pace. The time that they reached the Palace of Benevolent Peace doubled.
When they arrived at the Palace of Benevolent Peace, the Empress Dowager’s personal maid had been waiting there for a long time. As she saw Shao Wanru coming out of the palace sedan, she hurried to salute her and then led her to the main hall.
Lots of people were in the Palace of Benevolent Peace today. The one on the seat of honor was certainly the Empress Dowager. Rui’an Great Elder Princess was sitting beside her, and on the other side was Ruiping Great Elder Princess, who had Infanta Yuan’an sit by her side. The Old Madam of Marquis Xing’s Mansion was there with several Madams.
They all looked familiar to Shao Wanru. It turned out that they were the older ones among the Madams who witnessed what happened yesterday.
As Shao Wanru came in, everyone’s eyes fell on her. Seeing her lips paler than usual, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was distressed, and her eyes turned red. Shao Wanru’s rosy lips used to be her outstanding feature, but now they turned pallid.
Shao Wanru bowed to the Empress Dowager in the middle of the hall, and immediately a palace servant came to support her.
The Empress Dowager pointed to a chair next to Rui’an Great Elder Princess and said kindly, “Sit down and talk. You don’t look good!”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager!” Shao Wanru said softly, walking to Rui’an Great Elder Princess with the help of the palace servant. She wanted to salute again but was stopped by Rui’an Great Elder Princess, who pulled her to the chair and sat down. “You are in such a weak state. Why are you still so polite? You were fine before going to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. How could you end up like this? It must be not suitable for you to go to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion!”
After that, she glared at Old Madam of the Marquis Xing’s Mansion.
Old Madam was also observing Shao Wanru. Before this, she didn’t take it seriously. When Shao Wanru left yesterday, Nanny Yu reported that although Princess Chen didn’t look well, she was okay. But what was going on now? Shao Wanru looked terrible at first sight. It was evident that she struggled to come here. Old Madam couldn’t help feeling troubled and uneasy.